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2013.09.14 - Late Night Leftovers
It was a longer night than normal at Anita Bella, after a table of six decided to linger talking well past closing. But, they tipped well and worse things could have happened. Not that Fern thinks it in exactly that way, since she's not quite home yet and worse things could still happen. She trots up from the subway station nearest her apartment, gaining the street with a quick look around before she turns to start walking home. It's not far, and her pace is relatively brisk. There's a brown bag cradled in her left arm, and her messenger bag is slung across her as usual. It seems the summer may truly be over, there's a slight chill in the air and she's happy that she opted for jeans, a t-shirt and her hoodie. She's even back in her black boots, the unaccustomed weight of them making her step a little more heavy than usual as she heads up the sidewalk. Leo hasn't found David yet, but he will...in the meantime, since picking up the disguise there are a number of nights he has secretly watched over Fern until she was home safely. Right now he is atop a building, waiting for her to exit the subway train. As Fern comes back up to street level, Leo easily moves from roof top to roof top to follow 'along'. His movements are effortless and nearly silent, due to his TTK which he relies on more than his super strength. Without anything boosting her awareness, Fern has been oblivious of the young man watching over her. Moving without hesitation, she crosses the intersection to head up 149th Street. There's a shortcut halfway down the block that will take her through to 150th without having to go all the way up to Eighth Avenue and then backtrack to Macombs Place. It takes her between some buildings that she knows aren't the safest places, but at this point she just wants to get home. Besides, she's got her mace in her bag. Which, actually, she ought to have in her hand if she's going that route, so she pauses under a street light to dig into her bag with her free hand. Leo easily leap-flies over road gaps to new building roofs. He stays out of the more well-lit areas to better blend in and be less noticeable in case someone does oddly look 'up'. His eyes narrow when Fern pauses in the street light. He really hates it when she goes this route, he already busted a few people's fingers in this area causing trouble at other times to try and make it safer for her...but it's a popular area. It's strange, perhaps Leo should feel like a stalker, but in reality, he feels kinda like a guardian angel. He doesn't want to honestly interfere with Fern's independence, he just knows she's a magnet for trouble. With mace in hand, Fern closes up her bag and is ready to continue on. As she turns the corner down the alley, everything looks peaceful and quiet. There are some lights on in the buildings, midnight is still pretty early in the city that never sleeps, but there doesn't seem to be anyone lurking along the passage. The young waitress keeps up her brisk pace, making it halfway through before a door she'd passed swings open, letting two young men out onto the street. They're jostling each other, joking around, and Fern can hear them clearly as she picks up the pace a bit. As one spies her he jabs his companion with an elbow to the ribs, nodding, and both turn their attention to her progress. While Fern has made peace with a number of the tougher characters in the neighborhood, these two are either new or visitors. The fact that they fall silent behind her makes Fern clench her jaw, hissing softly to herself, "Crap." Leo sighs to himself as he quickly notices what is going on. The frustration is obvious for those that know him well as his jaw tightens. Still, he moves in a blur of speed, coming to stand atop a building just as Fern passes beneath him. How should he handle it? They may just give her a scare...but... Leo suddenly steps off and drops down, a thump heard as he lands and bends at his knees to absorb the shock with ease. He stands up straight and turns his head toward them, looking at them with his right shoulder toward them. His eyes glow red in the darkness and shadow of his hoodie. Least Leo attempts with scaring them first into retreat. He rather Fern not be around the violence if possible. If Fern picks up her pace any more she'll be trotting, and she pretty much thinks of thugs the same as strange dogs... don't run away, don't let them see fear. Of course, she's usually much less fearful of strange dogs than strange people, because the dogs are often friendlier. She almost turns around at the thud, but thinks better of it, cautious that it's just something to get her to falter. No, she stays the course determinedly, nearly to the other end of the alley. Behind her, the two guys stop before they make it more than two steps in Fern's direction as Leo comes between them and their target. One immediately raises his hands, palms forward, taking a step back from the red eyes. "Hey man, we don't want no trouble." The other is more ready for a fight, talking over his companion, "What the hell man, we want trouble, we gonna f...." and his words stop suddenly as he notes the glow of Leo's eyes himself. His attitude changes immediately, "Yeah man, we don't want nothin'." A nod from Leo as the glow of his eyes fade, "Wise choice," his voice purposely deeper than normal. He can sense Fern at the alley opening now. "This alley is a safe zone," the words almost growled out. "I only give once chance." He is then gone, blurring with super speed to head back to the roof top. He hopes a display of power rather than giving them pain, intimidation rather than actual violence, will get the job done in this case and make them a little wiser in the future. Both guys in the alley blink as Leo is suddenly gone, frowning and looking around. In a bid to save face, one mutters, "Damn freaks. Think they own everywhere." But the pair don't continue in pursuit of the little waitress, and likely won't mention this encounter to anyone else since they were bested with almost no effort. Cowards at heart. Fern can hear voices, but is far enough by then that she can't make out the words, and Leo sounds so little like the voice she is accustomed to that she doesn't make any connection. All she knows is that the waited for sound of footsteps behind her isn't coming, and she's well on her way to Macombs Place. She gives a soft sigh but doesn't slow her pace. She wonders, not for the first time, if she ought to take an offer of a more solid job and move into a better neighborhood. Leo watches Fern from a roof top still, and when she steps inside the main entrance of the apartment complex, he pulls out his cell phone and texts her: 'You home yet?' The young man waits for a reply, mentally kicking himself for being such a coward sometimes with Fern. Why doesn't he take his Father's advice and just sweep her off her feet like a conquest and make her enjoy being conquered? Part of him isn't even sure why he resists that urge or finds it terrifyingly wrong. The knocking sound her phone makes when the text comes sounds like knuckles rapping on a door, and she knows that it's one of three people she's assigned that sound to. She unlocks the doors and gets inside the building properly before she pulls the phone from her pocket, stooping to set the bag down on the floor by the mailboxes. Her thumb is swiped across the phone to unlock it, and she flips it open for the keyboard, figuring before she even sees it that she'll be responding to someone. There's a smile as she sees Leo's name on the ID, and she quickly types back: 'Just walked in the door. You must be psychic.' She pauses, wondering if he is, and then hits send. Her keys rattle as she checks her mail, pulling out a couple envelopes that surely hold some bills. Leo lifts his phone's glowing screen and smiles a bit. He hits reply and types out a quick, but heartfelt message: 'Then: Welcome home Fern.' He then taps send and looks back at Fern's apartment as lights come on. She's safe, he can relax now. Up to the fourth floor, and Fern pauses at her door, this time opening locks two, five and six before pushing into the apartment and closing the door behind her. Before she moves away she locks those same three locks, then hits the switch for the light and turns as her pocket knocks again. She takes a moment to cross and put the bag down on the table, then unsling her messenger bag and drop it on the futon before checking her phone again. 'Thank you, Leo. What are you up to?' is sent in response, and she sets the phone down as she sits to unlace her boots and tug them off. Leo pulls up his legs to sit cross-legged as he floats above the roof top. He grins and texts right back: 'Superheroing.' And this time, he doesn't mind being in the shadows with it. He got to protect someone he cared about from being overly worried, and made sure they weren't harmed. Just as Fern is pulling the second boot off, setting it with it's mate beside the futon, the knocking comes and she reaches for the phone as she straightens. Reading the one word response, she grins, talking out loud to herself, "Must be a slow night." She taps in her response: 'I have food. Come by?' The phone is snapped shut and dropped on the cushion as Fern steps to the closet, pulling open the door, then shrugging off her hoodie and hanging it inside. She would normally change right into her pajamas, but if there's a chance Leo would be coming by she might as well just change later. The message back makes Leo's heart skip a beat he thinks. He has never been in Fern's place before! But she gave him his addy to call a taxi before, so she obviously knows he knows where it is, and all the he knows and she knows and the mysteries of the universe? He looks about, checking on those two idiots to make sure they are behaving themselves. Fern pads back out in her socks, leaning to see if she missed hearing the phone and moving on to the kitchen. It's hardly likely she wouldn't have heard it in the small space. She starts unloading leftovers from Anita Bella from the bag, setting them on the small table. A big piece of lasagna that could easily be cut in two, some fresh rolls, and, of course, cannoli. As she moves Fern hums lightly, an old slow song, turning to take a few steps with an invisible partner. The pair from the alley are long gone to the subway station, taking Leo's words seriously and beating it out of the neighborhood as fast as they could. Who wants to hang around a place like that? They were wise after all. Leo then moves, slipping down to the street silently in the shadows and heading toward Fern's apartment building. When he is at the main entrance he texts' back: 'Love super speed. Here.' Alright, it's a bit of a fib, he actually walked here and was close by, but Fern doesn't need to know that, right? She out ignored those two bad boys. Fern types back immediately to the text: 'Be right there!' Grabbing her keys she unlocks the locks, and once in the hall locks them again. She's been warned countless times about leaving your door unlocked even for the shortest time and it's become a habit. She trots down the stairs and into the small lobby, sliding the last foot to the door and pulling it open, stepping to open the outer door while keeping the inner open. "Hey Leo! C'mon in." Leo moves to slip inside, slipping an arm about your waist as he leans down to steal a brief, but firm kiss. He mmmms, "Hey Fern," he says in a teasing tone. He steps back so she can close and relock the front door of the building. "Took forever," he teases her. Fern's fingers brush lightly on Leo's jaw, and she grins as she pulls the doors, making sure each is locked. "Well, not everyone has super speed," she teases back lightly. "I'm up on four." She turns to lead the way to the stairs, no elevator in the building, talking softly as they go. "Anything exciting happen tonight?" she asks, rounding the second floor landing, heading up to three. A quiet hrm, "Not really. Some idiots decided to show some wisdom for once and booked it so I didn't have to fight. Otherwise, quiet night really." He wouldn't share the real violence with Fern anyway. Still, maybe they will spread the word, that this area is off-limits. Leo follows behind, checking out Ferns behind as her legs work her up those flights of stairs. Thank you stairs, just...thank you very, very much. He mmmmms seemingly thoughtfully, but really it's in admiration. Before he likely realizes he is getting caught staring. "I'm glad they did the smart thing," Fern agrees, not yet realizing that her behind is the subject of no little attention. She doesn't mention the guys in the alley to Leo, not wanting to concern him needlessly. Nothing happened, after all, so why bother mentioning it? Another landing and there's one more flight up, and Fern half turns to mention, "Anita gave me leftovers again. I swear she thinks I never..." As Fern's eyes fall on Leo the words stop, red brows arching before she huffs a soft laugh. "Hey," she chides him softly. Leo blinks, "Huh?" And then grins widely, "I couldn't resist, it was just -there-, and -amazing-, and -stuff-." He actually motions to said rear he was admiring. But he moves up toward your side to lean down and kiss your cheek. "Left overs sound great." He honestly did eat the ones Fern gave him previously, because one she gave them to him, and two, the food was actually good. Fern laughs softly, shaking her head indulgently, turning off the stairs at the next landing to head to her apartment door. "Figured you might be hungry if you were out heroing," she says, stopping with a jangle of keys. Locks two, five and six are again unlocked, and she swings the door open, leading the way inside. The apartment is small but comfortable, a little plain, but still showing touches of Fern around. She turns once Leo is inside, shutting the door, locking the locks once more. "Make yourself comfortable," she says over her shoulder just before the third lock clicks. An eyebrow raises at the numerous locks. Leo hrms a bit, before moving to steal an arm about Fern's waist playfully, "That sort of requires you to stay at my side," a grin spreading across his mouth. "And here I thought you wanted to eat." Leo is pretty much on Cloud Nine right now for being invited to Fern's place. He does notice how small it is, and though pleasant, it does not have the shine his stylish place has. Fern hasn't invited many over, because her place is so completely different than where most of the people she's grown closest to call home. Her apartment could likely easily fit into one room of either Justin Hammer or Warren Worthington's places, and while Leo's place isn't quite so lavish as those two, it's likely her apartment would fit into his living room as well. But, in honesty, she's decided to stop hiding how she lives. So she isn't rich, it doesn't mean her place is something to be ashamed of, even if the neighborhood isn't so great. Her grin matches his and she pulls away from Leo gently, "Yes, we are going to eat." She pads over to the 'kitchen', moving a vase of roses from the table off to the counter, bringing back two plates and some silverware. "I don't have much company so the only things I have to drink are pepsi and water," she says apologetically. "Pepsi is fine," Leo says, sounding a bit distracted. When he moves, it's suddenly and quick. But he's at the roses, checking for a card. Yes, he's being nosy, but at least he's doing it obviously rather than slyly. Though he could just ask. "How was work today?" There is a card tucked in among the flowers on a pick, the message simple. 'See you soon. Warren' Fern bends to retrieve two pepsis from the small refrigerator, along with a tray of ice from the icebox, and puts them on the counter so she can reach up for the glasses. "Work was good. We had a group stay late, but they tipped really well, so it was worth it." *psht* *psht* She starts pouring one can into a glass, tilting it so the soda flows down the side to save the carbonation. Leo is silent for a bit before he finally hrms, "Well, good they tipped well when they inconvenienced you so." Another brief pause before he finally asks, "Who is Warren?" He works to keep his tone neutral and indifferent. It isn't perfect, but he does a pretty good job of it. Taking up the glasses, Fern brings them to the table, looking to Leo. "Warren Worthington," she answers, expanding on the reply, "Maybe you know him? He belongs to that club, I think your father is a member, Hellfire? Blond, wings." He's kinda hard to miss, and they should travel in the same circles of moneyed people. Her tone is light, and she doesn't pick up anything off in Leo's. A frown at that, "I know of him. I only recently got an invitation to join the club myself," Leo states. Hiding the jealousy and suspicion is harder, but Leo then carefully takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly when Fern isn't looking. "So...any reason I should know that he is sending you flowers for?" The card is slipped back into place on the roses. Leo, a better person for Fern. But learning what jealousy is sucks, it's an ugly emotion that Leo isn't sure what to do with. Fern pulls the two chairs out, nodding to one, saying gently, "Come sit down." She slides down into the other chair, one foot tucked under her. "Warren and I used to date, but it didn't work out. We bumped into each other a few weeks ago, and it's been awkward, but we're trying to find our footing as friends again." She opens the container with the lasagna in it, using a knife to cut it in two, a fork to dish half onto each of their plates. Leo frowns, but he moves to take a seat. When Fern says those words though, his expression smooths out to something more neutral. "Should you really do that? It might give him the wrong idea. And if it didn't work out last time, no point in repeating a path doomed to fail." Course Leo takes it all wrong, a lot of people would actually. Reaching over, Fern pulls the bread from it's bag, offering Leo one of the four pieces and taking one for herself. "I think he needs to know at least one person that actually cares about what happens to him. The people he's been spending time with, they're just using him because he has money and gets them mentioned in the paper." There's a light concern that creeps into her words, and she frowns lightly. "He knows I'm not 'dating' right now," she says with quick air quotes. Leo accepts the bread slice, though says, "That doesn't stop emotional attachment or wanting you Fern," he states seriously. "It doesn't stop me," the words bluntly put forward. And then it hits Leo. "He's the reason you aren't 'dating' right now, isn't he?" Uh-ooooooh! Yep, bread slice down, not point in squishing it by accident. "In a way," Fern answers with a soft sigh. "I hurt him, and I'm not prepared to put myself or anyone else in that sort of position again right now." Despite their softness, her words are firm and she looks up at Leo. "There's too much going on right now, and I don't even know where I'll be in six months." "Everyone makes plans, but no one knows one-hundred percent for sure where they will be in six months," Leo says. "And people get hurt, but is not trying really a good excuse just to avoid the risks? Not that...I'm saying this has to do with Warren," Leo grumbles, "I meant with me," just in case. Still, he glances away, his expression thoughtful. "I would have never dreamed I'll be doing what I'm doing, the way I'm doing it, or being here right now six month's ago. I would have looked at whoever told me as if they were mentally retarded. People change, people grow Fern. You shouldn't try and hold yourself still or in limbo." Fern shakes her head, a bare movement, "No, I'm just not prepared to risk that yet. And besides, I think it's more important to like someone than to love them. There's a difference. And you can't really like someone until you know them." She's apparently given it a lot of thought, even if the thought might be convoluted and decidedly Fern-y. A roll of his blue eyes with the domino mask still surrounding them. "Seriously? Wow, I know tons of couples that don't like each other, but are all lovey dovey. Though I admit, I like you. You drive me crazy, but I like you," Leo says as he looks pointedly at Fern. "And I figured out a while ago there is a difference. There are girls you wouldn't mind having a roll in the sheets with, and then there is -a- girl that you would want to stay at home with you and wouldn't mind if she put her sweetly smelly shampoo and bodywash in your bathroom. I'm not completely clueless Fern. And I thought we were already 'friends'." He is being stubborn, but Fern knows if she pushes enough, Leo will give in yet again and bide his time... because Fern's happiness and comfort really does matter to Leo. "You know that we're friends," Fern protests mildly, "But we still don't know an awful lot about each other. And couples that don't like each other but are all lovey dovey never seem destined to last long." She's a practical girl and isn't looking to just jump from one man to the next like so many people do. She wants substance, not a distraction and not to be someone's distraction. And, lets face it, she knows some high profile, high demand men, and she's well aware of that fact. At the end of the day, she's just a girl from Ohio. She waves vaguely at the lasagna on Leo's plate, "Eat, before it gets even colder." It still has a bit of warmth, enough that she didn't microwave it, but it's far from hot any more. Leo still looks unhappy, but he does listen and starts to eat. There are things he can't even tell Fern, and for the first time, perhaps that bugs him. He takes another bite of food and swallows it, "What do you feel couples should know about each other first before getting serious?" Fern takes a bite of her own lasagna, pausing to think about the question before answering. "I think they should know as much as they can. Things that most people don't think are important, but that are important to each other." She looks at Leo wryly, "I don't even know when your birthday is or how old you are, and I know I've never told you that either." And Leo then actually quotes Fern's birthday and age, "And I'm eighteen, birthdate," and he provides it. "Your parents live in Greenville, Ohio. Nurse and barber for respective careers. You don't have a record, not even a speeding ticket currently on file. Your neighbors like you and speak well of you," the latter actually found out from watching over Fern as she comes home and listening into conversations. Leo shrugs a bit awkwardly, "I looked it up," he confesses. "After you stayed the night with me. I was curious." Red brows lift as Leo starts in with information that she's never supplied to him, although her expression is mild. She's not really surprised that he would know things, surely someone in his position has plenty of resources, even to find out her status with the police. "I can't say that I blame you, after having a strange woman at your place," Fern concedes. "It wasn't that. I wanted to -know- more about you. Also, knowing my Father, he would have already done a background check, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be surprised if he brought anything up. Surprisingly, he hasn't brought anything up," but Leo still bets his Father did a background check. "So personal and practical reasons, but the practical reasons weren't because I was suspicious of you. I've actually -never- been suspicious of you...which is kind of weird, but true." Fern looks across the table at Leo, her eyes level on him, and she nods. "Well, I wouldn't blame your father, either. There are a lot of people out there, women," she amends, "Who would only be interested in your money and position. I don't have anything to hide." The worst thing showing up on her record is cutting school and getting caught in the 7th grade, so either she's an angel or she got better at covering her tracks. "Is the lasagna ok?" A nod, "Lasagna is good," Leo says. "Fern...," it seems he's about to apologize, but he suddenly falls silent and winces. "I got to go, someone's screaming bloody murder just down the street." He sets the fork down and moves, blurring with the motion as he effectively and quickly unlocks the locks. "Relock them behind me," he advises you. "I'll...see you later," and then the door opens and closes, and he is gone. Strange, Fern wouldn't have heard the scream, but apparently Leo's hearing is better than hers. And let's just say, the wanna be mugger or rapist or whatever the hell he thinks he is, is going to get one unhappy 'hello' from Match for interrupting his conversation with Fern. Category:Log